There are numerous job types that fit under the umbrella term of fund management jobs. In the financial sector, fund management encompasses a wide range of different tasks, directed toward the goal of ensuring the growth and positive performance of the fund in question. Depending upon the type of fund, the types of fund management jobs vary, but the core of any fund management operation is essentially the same. Fund management jobs range from researchers and accountants to trend analysts, brokers and advisers. The specialties and skill sets of each of those positions will differ depending on whether they are managing a corporate fund, an individual fund, a retirement fund or non-profit endowment fund.
At the top of the management chain is the fund manager. The responsibilities of the fund manager include providing oversight and leadership for the rest of the fund management team, while also providing guidance and direction. The success or failure of a fund, while being a team effort, is usually the ultimate responsibility of the fund manager. To become a fund manager, a person must acquire an advanced degree in business, finance or accounting and must possess extensive experience working at various fund management jobs below the manager.
The fund manager is the person who determines whether the fund in question will be handled aggressively or conservatively. In most instances, this determination is made in consultation with the client. Every fund manager has their niche management style that guides the performance of the fund. Most investors choose their fund managers on the basis of reputation derived from this style.
The fund adviser is considered by some experts to be the most important of the fund management jobs. His or her role is to be the face of the operation to the client, and all interaction between the investment fund and the investor takes place through an experienced and accredited fund adviser. To become a fund adviser, one must earn a degree in accounting and gain experience working for a licensed CPA or financial planner.
One of the most difficult fund management jobs is that of the fund analyst or researcher. While clients often only interact with an adviser, or in some circumstances the fund manager, all of the activities of the fund, both positive and negative, rest with the work of analysts and researchers. Fund researchers are tasked with acquiring vast amounts of data on a wide variety of financial markets and then organizing that data for fund analysts. Analysts are responsible for poring over market data looking for both micro and macro trends that can be utilized for the growth and improved performance of the fund. To become a financial analyst or researcher, one often needs to be enrolled in an accredited financial education program.